


Something to Eat

by SilentDarknes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Fire, Gore, Hunk gets a flash back later on, Lance gives everyone dumb nicknames, Loss of hope, M/M, Manipulation, Possible smut, Sheith is more of a brotherly love thing, Ships may vary, Slow Burn, Things are gonna get messy, brainwashed societies, general feelings, graphic depictions of murder, lowkey pyromania, past trauma, selfharm stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 18:10:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10576707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentDarknes/pseuds/SilentDarknes
Summary: After Shiro and Keith split up to find shelter through the apocalypse, Keith is devastated when his dear friend fails to meet up with him. Despite this, he knows the other must be alive. Shiro is a strong willed man, and something had to happen. He wouldn't have gotten killed so easily, and Keith knew it. On his search for the other, he meets up with the rag tag crew who have been riding in a broken down van which had been dubbed as The Mystery Machine by their leader, Lance McClain.Lance, Pidge, and Hunk find it in their best interest to stay on Koganes good side, even if this is not a predictably easy task.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is all a work in progress. If you want to read more I'd love it if you told me, As i'm not really sure this would be popular or if my writing would do it justice.

Keith was beyond stressed. He figured perhaps his partner in crime had simply been held up by a particularly antsy horde, but after nearly an hour of waiting by a run down ice cream shop, he couldn't take it. The sun had been beating down on him, and now he was left watching the sun set alone. A small part of Keith told him to wait, but the more logical side was looming. If Shiro didn't come that meant one thing, and only one thing. 

Groans were heard from down the street, signalling that it was time for Keith to leave, but he knew that Shiro couldn't possibly have been killed. The likely-hood of that was like saying that Keith was defenseless. It was an outright lie; despite this another thought occurred to him. _Denial._

That thought alone had Keith in near panic, his chest tight as he forced himself to focus on the world around him. He didn't have time. There never seemed to be enough time in situations like this, with the dead closing in and a crisis just around the corner. Maybe this is how Shiro felt when a plan went wrong. Keith took a breath and let it slowly escape, assessing his surroundings. Sweat dripped down his cheek, cold against the burning on his skin. There was a fallen motel sign, and behind it a small group of four, maybe five undead. Keith could probably take them on a good day, but when these things were hungry they were damn near impossible to stop, luckily the more hungry they were, the slower. The group was at a steady walking pace, leaving Keith both confident and unsure. At first glance, he could have sworn he saw his half brother among the crowd, eyes dead and sunken in. Keith couldn't bare the though, practically snarling as he turned and grabbed the motorcycle that had been propped against the shops wall. The sound of his bike rang out, likely alerting whatever other creatures in the vicinity of where he was, but like that he was gone, riding fast and without care. 

Keith's eyes were watering from what he would have said were high wind speeds, but Keith would have been lying. With every one of those monsters he passed he saw Shiro's face, and only once he was far enough from the small town did he dare to let out a yell. His bike idle as he kicked angrily at the rocks around him, trying to take out whatever frustrations he could without imagining him. He swore the idea of Shiro like that would haunt him. He worked it out of his system within twenty minutes, a record for him. The moon was already beginning to rise and temperatures were dropping. Keith sighed, stripping off the worn jacket he wore and folding it up, laying on the still warm ground and using it as a pillow. Usually him and Shiro would take turns keeping watch. For tonight, Keith had to hope and pray that nothing found him.


	2. Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith comes to terms with the disappearance of Shiro, however without his brothers skills he must look for more supplies.

Keith woke with grime in his eyes and the sun on his face. Everything felt sore, both physically and mentally. He still felt exhausted, seeing his brothers' face through each of his dreams. It made life seem like so much more of a nightmare without him, and he was half expecting to see the build of his brother watching for anything coming for them. The sight was merely imagined, however. Keith was alone, and the sigh he gave only magnified this. 

Despite his tough exterior, he hated the thought of being alone terrified him. Especially when being alone meant certain death via zombie infection. He was at least able to think now, standing and rubbing his eyes. The sand and grime rubbed into his eyes, causing him to hiss in pain as he gave a low growl. 

Shiro had taken half their supplies with him, which left Keith with less food than he needed for basic survival. They had split up for this very reason, and without good news, Keith had three days worth of rations. Priority number one was food, priority number two? That was finding Shiro. 

In order to do this he began planning his route in the direction Shiro had left, spreading the worn map against the seat of his bike and using a red marker to place a dot over each possible scavenging area. They marked scavenged areas with an X, and determined safe places with a circle. Keith had six of each to the west, and with what he saw on his map there'd be at least eight salvageable areas in the direction Shiro went. He figured Shiro would have managed to clear out at least half, despite the fact he had been on foot. 

With this, Keith crammed the corner of the map under the plastic that made the window of his bike and got on, revving it and sighing. He'd need more gas, too. Shiro's route didn't have a station along it; however there had been one only a few miles away. He'd need to go there first, obviously. It was out of the way, but it was a must.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Keith's hair whipped around him as he rode along the highway, cars that had been crashed or abandoned on either side. He slowed as he passed a particular van, it truly caught his interest. It was old, and had dents and what looked like scratches in the side. It looked horrible, but he was surprised how it seemed so...homey. It looked like the kind of van that someone could live in. He briefly hoped that whoever had the van at least fought for their life.

With a deep breath the scent of decaying flesh overcame him, and he continued on his journey. He didn't have time to admire the stillness of what once was chaos. He needed simply to get his brother back, even if that meant risking his life.

The gas station was just as broken and still as everything else, with the exception of a few unprovoked dead. He sighed as he walked his bike up, glancing around. He doubt the pumps still worked, but he gave it a shot anyways, surprised at the soft sound of his tank being filled. It was nothing too shocking, but it made Keith feel oddly light, as though now that he had gasoline, nothing could go wrong. 

He noticed the zombies that had been wandering seemed interested in something, however. It wasn't him, something that seemed to be coming. Keith heard the over the top, excited yell from the way he came, staring as the van he passed on the highway came barreling over the hill. Keith grabbed his bike, disconnecting the gasoline hose and revving the engine. They were likely bandits. It seemed like every friendly face was a bandit, whether they wanted your food, assistance, or your life. Keith watched them, pulling out a single match. If these fuckers tried to rob him, they were going to see what he could do first.


	3. Burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank You all so much for this! I'm sorry the chapters are so short, I get anxious of dragging it out too long, and end it prematurely.

Lance's eyes went wide, slamming on the breaks and swerving as flames erupted in front of the van. They had seen the figure on the highway, and figured he might need some food. After all, he couldn't hold much on such a small bike, right? It had been Hunk's idea, considering they had a surplus of food.

The sudden jerk of the car caused the youngest of the trio to fall from their seat, practically slamming into the opposite wall. The male who had been outside had to be insane. In the split second it took for flames to take over the station, there was no way he could get away. 

Lance had realized this within seconds, opening the door with enough force for it to almost bounce back, practically falling as he ran into the heat. Pidge and hunks shouts had been muffled by the roar, and he knew he didn't have time to slow as he approached the ravenette. Keith had stumbled as he was yanked from his bike, barely processing the commotion as flames licked at his skin. Hunk got into the driver seat, Pidge throwing the back doors open and yelling out for Lance.

Keith only realized what was going on once the doors were closed behind him, being shouted at almost instantly. 

"Are you fucking insane!? You could have killed us!" It was who Keith pegged as Lance, and in that moment he tried to match the name to the the face. He had darker skin, not as dark as the drivers however. Possibly Latino heritage, and if so? Latino Lance. 

"I didn't..." he started, only being interrupted by the youngest member. They seemed to be more feminine, even with the short hair. Besides, it had been a common thing as protection; No one wants to be yanked back by a zombie because they insist on long, neatly trimmed hair like Keiths' own. Keith hated the feeling of short hair poking at his ears, and thus kept it long and tied back with a piece of scrap fabric he found.

"He clearly is a bit brain damaged, that's why the zombies haven't caught him yet." They scoffed, moving to buckle their seat-belt.  
"Are you talking about me, or your friend that ran into a fire after me?" He growled. He was a little more than pissed, having lost his bike. he had no idea how he would get to Shiro, unless he managed to ditch these three and take the car, and with the guns they had, that'd be difficult. 

The driver finally spoke, looking back briefly. "Hey, Pidge, Lance, be nice, He was scared and alone, and he did just encounter death first hand. Give him a break." 

Keith decided he liked this one the most, noting Pidge as the flightier pigeon-esque one and huffing. He hated being treated like a child, but for now he had no choice but to stay with the rather odd group, even if it mean less of a chance of finding Shiro. He spoke, "Where are you heading, anyways?" 

"There's a safe place in the town over, complete opposite direction you where heading. I thought you'd of heard, but I guess you don't have a radio, Huh? So,you have a name, or are we calling you Pyro?" It was Lance who answered, leaning over. Keith felt as though he wasn't going to enjoy this trip one bit.


	4. Unit VSG-A1.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro has found a safe place, but things turn sour as they seem to find a new excuse everytime he asks to leave to bring his friend.

Shiro hadn't been sure exactly what happened; He remembered short bursts, meeting a small group of survivors before watching them be shot down, only for him to experience the same pain. Thankfully, it hadn't been a bullet that hit him, rather a dart that brought tears to his eyes and the adult to his knees in minutes. When he woke, he had been in an empty glass chamber, figures in what seemed to be Haz-Mat suits on the outside. A voice echoed in the small glass room, male and velvety even through the hint of an accent.

"Hello, Mister Shirogane. I apologize for the rather rude means of arrival. My name is Lotor Lockheart; I am the Mayor of this outposts' son. Now, I'll try and explain this so you have as few questions possible. This post is the original, but we've been creating more so survivors like us can survive. We've been creating an outpost every sixty miles. You and your friend are currently in quarantine so we don't expose anyone to the virus. We've taken a DNA sample of both of you, and due to the fall of the known government, we've taken it upon ourselves to rebuild society, starting with using preexisting police files to identify everyone. While you were unconscious, we've taken it upon ourselves to take fingerprints and rate you on your Levels of violence. You will be in here for eight to ten hours; as our research leads us to believe this is the longest the virus, else, parasite, can live without a host. In other words, if its on your skin and you are a risk, that's how long you will need to survive before we know you are no longer at risk. We also will be changing your name, however, in order to throw off the possibility of possible rebel alliances. There isn't a large threat, however even the most selfless of organizations find themselves to be against someone's ideologies." The male chuckled softly, smiling through a secondary pane of glass. The reflection of light made it hard to see, but he seemed to have rather long hair, something rare nowadays. "Any questions?" Lotor tilted his head, and Shiro had been left speechless.

Questions? Questions were racing through his mind, so much so that it had left him dizzy; That may had been due to whatever they used to knock him out or the potential of hitting his head he faced shortly after, however. He simply shook his head, hesitating as he brought his hands up to his face, pausing to take in the details. He learned that in dreams, your hands look foreign, and that by looking at them, its easier to decipher whether you had been dreaming or not. This only brought more questions, noticing the change in clothes he had been in. White, long sleeved dress shirt and grey slacks, leaving him almost too clean looking compared to the world he lived in. There hadn't been a speck of blood, dirt, or anything else on the fabric. In fact, the entire facility seemed too clean compared to the world outside, stainless steel tables and wounds wrapped to perfection that left Shiro on edge even now. It felt like he was kidnapped and brought to an entirely different planet. His thoughts were interrupted by the same voice from before, head jerking up as he looked to the speaker that seemed to be the source.

"Well- It seems that there are no questions. You'll be given a starting currency once you're let out; We have a makeshift economy, coins that had been brought by others and such, as well as a room in our community housing. Everyone lives there at no price but their Loyalty. My medical adviser will be caring for you while you're in our facility, and once taken out of quarantine, you'll be taught the basics and expected to live alongside everyone else." The younger stated, Shiro suddenly blossoming with unanswered questions. 

"I know others; Other non-infected. Please, My brother-"

"Mister Shirogane, we are aware of your family history and have looked into any possible survivors that we may allow into our facility. Now, Your mother and father, deceased, correct?" 

Shiro hesitated before answering. "Correct."

"They had been the only familial bonds that we found suitable. On the other hand, Your half brother, Keith Kogane, related to you by your father, He's the one you're concerned of, correct?"

Shiro let out a breath. "Yes."

"We've looked through his files. He has many run ins with authorities, even before the outbreak. You're aware of this, I'm sure. Assault, Failure to cooperate, resistance, multiple counts of petty theft, assault with a deadly weapon... I'm afraid to say he isn't the kind of person we accept into our society. Our goal is to keep everyone here safe and warm, away from possible threats of the outside and in. Your 'brother' has a likelihood of harming other members and possibly himself, as well as trying to lead a revolt. I'm sure you understand, Mister Shirogane. Now, it's been a long day for you, I'm sure. You should rest while you wait, and we'll inform you if we have any signs of infection in your friend, Matthew Holt. This actually isn't his first time here; You know. His sister and him had been living in a separate facility, but left their mother behind for unknown reasons after their father had been offered a position here. I'm surprised they're not together... I suppose Katie didn't make it very far. She never was the most athletic, according to our reports." He sighed, sounding almost disappointed. This was news to Shiro. He knew of Matt's sister from his stories, but that they escaped a different safeplace? Why would they ever do that; especially to get to another one? None of it added up. And his brother... He couldn't stay if that meant leaving Keith behind. Keith already likely thought that Shiro had died... Who knew how long Keith would last thinking he had been alone.

It wouldn't be the first time he was alone, per say, but even then Keith hadn't been very stable. His brother had been reckless, to the point that if He felt like he had no one, there was no point to be careful. It was downright suicidal; Not an active suicide, maybe, but the kind where Keith knew something could kill him, but wouldn't care. He was the 'Crossing-the-street-without-looking-because-there's-a-chance-he'd-be-hit', kind of suicidal; The 'Lighting-a-gas-station-on-fire-for-a-cool-get-a-way' kind of suicidal. Keith had nothing to lose without Shiro, and with zombies at every corner? Well, a car hitting him was the least dangerous thing outside the walls Shiro had been kept in, and Keith was one of those things.


End file.
